Hotel Nine

There were bed bugs in our room, and the way it was handled was awful. No one was at reception to help. When we finally got hold of someone, all they said was, “oh ok, bye.” No apology or help. We asked for a refund and spent over an hour waiting in the heat to get only a partial one. They offered nothing during that time, no water, tuk-tuk, new room, laundry service, nothing. The staff didn’t seem to know what to do, and the manager was rude and unprofessional when they called her. The internet was also spotty and didn’t work all the time. The swimming pool is just for show, you can’t use it. Absolutely unacceptable.

There’s a lobby on every floor, which makes staying here convenient. The hotel is reasonably priced and close to Independent monument park. Parking isn’t available, though, and the last stretch of road is very narrow with lots of vendors along it.

There’s a nice, large terrace on each floor where you can relax, but the pool chairs are gone and the restaurant can be noisy. Don’t book if you plan to pay by credit card. Even after booking online, the machine didn’t work at checkout, and they expected me to go to an ATM and cover the withdrawal fee. No one cleaned my room or brought water or tissue, and nobody asked if I wanted it cleaned. At the last minute, they did work with me on the transfer fees, which was considerate. Still, I won’t return. The air-conditioning barely worked.

We had a pleasant stay at Bamboo, but I’m really disappointed and confused about the bus they arranged to Koh Rong for our ferry. When we reached the booking company, we were told there were no more ferries after 5:00, so we missed ours. Bamboo had set us up with that company, and the communication needs to improve.